In a report made public yesterday, coroner Jean-Francois Dorval recommended that all heavy trucks traveling in urban areas be equipped with mirrors that eliminate dangerous blind spots.

 

This conclusion was reached in a report on the death of a man killed by a heavy truck in downtown Rimouski, and is a reiteration of the conclusions made last month by a coroner investigating the deaths of four Montreal pedestrians killed by snow-removal vehicles.

"It is common for trucks with blind spots to travel in urban areas, generating a not-negligible risk of collisions for pedestrians," Dorval said in his report.

School buses have similar blind spots but now "must be equipped with mirrors that eliminate the dangerous blind spot where invisible pedestrians might be," he noted.

It is now up to a provincial road-safety task force to determine whether Dorval’s recommendations should be officially adopted. 

 

According to the SPVM, 18 pedestrians were killed in 2009 and 87 were seriously injured. From July 1 to 31, 2010, pedestrian operations have been stepped up as part of the active transportation segment of its pedestrian safety campaign.

 

To read the full coroner’s report issued yesterday,click here [1].

 

For tips and ideas on how to best educate your children about road safety, click here [2].